"German companies have confidence in me as a Dosigner!"

Pursueing a career in Germany. Project engineer Hein Hendriksen fulfils his ambition with Dosign. “As a Dosigner, I offer something a 'normal' Dutch engineer hardly can draw on: the trust of - and therefore access to - German companies.

Hein's technical career started off in Doetinchem-NL. After graduating in mechanical engineering he went on to work at a machine manufaturer. First as assistant, later as project lead. Hein: “In the nineties, AutoCAD was on the rise. And it really intrigued me. I started to focus on designing and engineering. That's how I soon ended up in the drawing room.”

The world over

After thirteen years, Hein thought it was time to push his limits. Literally. Through an engineering firm in Doetinchem and later Akzo Nobel, he came in contact with international projects. “I went around the world," says Hein. In 2014, I decided to settle down a bit more.”

Preference for Germany

“I strongly aimed at a longstanding career in Germany," Hein continues. “I worked there for Akzo Nobel for seven years, which was very pleasant. There is more discipline in Germany compared to the Netherlands. The quality is also higher. And if you don’t deliver the required quality, they will let you know. I appreciate that sort of clarity.”

Refurbishing storage tanks

Hein currently works as a project engineer at Shell, one of the clients of Jacobs Engineering. Hein: “At the site in Wesseling, near Cologne, we are refurbishing worn-out storage tanks. To this end, we cut the tanks down to one metre above the ground and rebuild them from there.” Hein mainly focuses on charting the layout of the old tanks. On this basis, he draws up a plan of approach for the revamp.

Confidence

“Without Dosign, I would probably not have been tasked with this project ", Hein emphasises. “As a Dutch engineer it is difficult to enter a German company. Our certificates are not equivalent to those of a German engineer. Also, other standards and requirements apply. Because Dosign is already active in Germany, both Jacobs and Shell confided in me.”

Dosign handle red tape

Dosign also supports me in other areas," Hein explains. “I came to Germany not only to work, but also to live here. So I faced all sorts of red tape: medical insurance, tax, pension, and what have you. Dosign knows the legislation and regulations and has helped me to settle all these matters.”

Widen horizons

Both in terms of work and private life Hein is actually settled in Germany. As far as he is concerned, this remains the case for the time being. He continues to look for challenge. “This is my first project as a project engineer. I would also like to do other projects in that role,. For example in chemistry, petrochemicals or the dairy sector. Once I've been working in Germany, I can approach other companies more easily. Thanks to Dosign, I can widen my German horizon.”

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